distracting 1 of 2

adjective

as in confounding

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

distracting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of distract
1
as in diverting
to draw the attention or mind to something else we were distracted from our discussion by the noise outside

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bothering
to trouble the mind of; to make uneasy distracted by the looming tax deadline

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of distracting
Adjective
Choose a clean, non-distracting background that doesn’t compete with your mug for attention. — William Arruda, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
The distracting Diwali fireworks distracted led to reshoots of the pivotal moment. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026 Not only are these sheer curtains over half off right now, but the subtle stripe adds just enough visual interest without distracting from your room’s overall design scheme. — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 26 Aug. 2026 Mail and Paper Piles Leaving mail and stacks of paper on coffee tables, console tables, and end tables is distracting and causes a conflict between relaxation and productive tasks, which Lee notes are two things that don't go together. — Maria Sabella, The Spruce, 23 Aug. 2026 Women were made to feel that their bodies were somehow offensive, distracting, or inconvenient. — Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026 Now, a cross-sectional study based on a registry of fatal US motor vehicle crashes has found that the love of her albums may have even contributed a statistically significant bump in deadly traffic accidents, presumably by distracting drivers. — Mike McRae 18, New Atlas, 18 Aug. 2026 Practicing meditation, visualization, or deep breathing may help in distracting from the discomfort of a full bladder for a short time. — Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 14 Aug. 2026 At least 10 million people use the Opal app, whose premium tier costs $100 annually, to lock themselves out of distracting apps, while others pay $59 for the Brick to do the same. — Nancy Walecki, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 One of the beauties of this novel is how these experiences are used as framework, never distracting from the portrait of the Boltons that emerges. — Deborah Johnson, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for distracting
  1. confounding
  2. diverting
  3. bothering
  4. perplexing
  5. detracting
  6. disturbing
  7. puzzling
  8. alarming
Adjective
  • Its study of dark matter and dark energy could also give scientists new insights into two of the most confounding puzzles in astronomy.
    — Denise Chow, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Grief is one of the most confounding aspects of the human experience.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 17 Apr. 2026
Definition of confounding
Verb
  • Its report accused him of diverting funds for fictitious missions and claiming reimbursals for per diem costs and plane tickets for nearly a dozen trips between 2019 and 2024.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
  • El Niño’s warm ocean water alters the atmospheric circulation above, diverting storm tracks and changing patterns of floods, droughts and tropical storms around the globe.
    — Julia Cole, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of diverting
Verb
  • Some interns hesitate to contact their former colleagues for fear of bothering them, but most people are eager to help out young talent.
    — Sophie Caldwell, CNBC, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Contreras rarely takes days off but asked for a day off Sunday with his leg bothering him.
    — Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of bothering
Adjective
  • Bohm’s Phillies career has been sometimes frustrating, sometimes exciting, sometimes perplexing.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Orbital imagery has shown that unlike its heavily cratered sibling moon, Phobos, which means fear in ancient Greek, Deimos is much smoother — and covered in a perplexing layer of dust and rubble called regolith.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of perplexing
Verb
  • An expansion into New Mexico would add oil revenue from the Permian Basin to Texas, adding to its economy and detracting, in turn, from New Mexico's.
    — Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Some asserted that the commitment and costs of traveling and attending meetings paired with the limited compensation was detracting members of the public from running for office.
    — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of detracting
Verb
  • Since each qubit is individually connected to the coupler, each qubit can be individually reset without disturbing its neighboring qubits.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Kyiv authorities told parents to prepare for the possibility of attacks disturbing school and urged them to teach their children what to do during an alert.
    — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of disturbing
Adjective
  • Roman’s catalog of galaxies will help scientists ascertain how quickly the universe is expanding due to these puzzling, unseen forces.
    — Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Doeding also plans to host events like speed puzzling and pre-release card game experiences.
    — Jolene Almendarez, Cincinnati Enquirer, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of puzzling
Verb
  • The development proved alarming enough that OpenAI vowed last week to slow the release of its upcoming Astra AI model.
    — Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Found in many foods For consumers, of course, the latest food safety concerns can be alarming given that lettuce and jalapeño peppers are used in many of the roughly 1 billion meals Americans consume daily.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of alarming

Browse Nearby Words

distracted
distracting
distraction
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Distracting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/distracting. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All